MIL-STD-2073.pdf

This is an informational guide for the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) on packaging and marking requirements for Department of Defense (DoD) contracts and solicitations, published in March 2014.

The guide provides comprehensive guidance on military packaging and preservation standards applicable to DoD shipments. Packaging requirements are typically located in solicitation Section D (Packaging & Marking), with additional specifications found in attached documents such as Commercial Item Descriptions (CIDs), military or federal specifications, aperture cards, Military Standard Drawings (MS), and industry standards (ASTM). Hazardous materials must comply with Title 49 CFR for land transport, IMO/IMDG for water, ICAO/IATA for commercial air, and AFMAN 24-204_IP for military air, with markings per MIL-STD-129. The document establishes five basic military preservation methods: Method 10 (physical protection), Method 20 (preservative coating only), Method 30 (waterproof protection), Method 40 (watervaporproof protection), and Method 50 (watervaporproof protection with desiccant). Each method specifies distinct packaging requirements using containers such as heat-sealed bags, rigid containers, and wooden crates. Military packaging applies to items for wartime deployment, reusable containers, delivery-at-sea shipments, and Defense Transportation and Distribution System entries with storage exceeding six months. The guide includes detailed illustrations of Methods 31-52, sample worksheets for translating packaging requirement codes, quality assurance inspection provisions, and marking standards including identification markings, bar codes, address markings, and special markings for hazardous materials, shelf-life items, and electrostatic discharge-sensitive devices. Additional requirements address palletization per MIL-STD-147, heat-treated wood packaging material compliance, and RFID tag specifications per DFARS clause 252.211-7006.